Eurogamer has posted some comments from Yukio Futatsugi, specifically relating to Crimson Dragon. Here’s what he had to say about the game’s release:
“Well, the game has been delayed and I know people are waiting for it, but it is definitely moving ahead,” Yukio Futatsugi told Eurogamer at last week’s Bitsummit meeting in Kyoto. “Microsoft will announce it when they’re ready.”
And how far is it away from completion? “I can’t say,” said Futatsugi. “But it’s really not far off.”
My guess is that Microsoft will announce an updated Crimson Dragon for Kinect 2 alongside the next Xbox at their event in April. This is of course speculation; officially the game is still announced for Xbox 360, although I think a 360 release is very unlikely now.
Futatsugi also confirmed that it was Microsoft who suggested he make a game similar to Panzer Dragoon for Kinect:
I gave them several proposals but Microsoft said, ‘No, how about a dragon game?’ Originally I had intended to make something totally different, but they said, ‘Something similar to Panzer Dragoon would be great.’
The full article is worth reading. He talks about how nostalgic it feels to be working with members of Team Andromeda again on another dragon game. He also addresses the concern that fans may not respond as well to Crimson Dragon as they did to the Panzer Dragoon games:
I’m working hard to make sure no one says, ‘The old one was better!’ But Panzer is Sega’s IP and this game will be different from that. The design concept of the dragons and the environments is very different. All I can really do is finish it. Anyway, games are made differently these days, so I hope people will see this as the sort of game Panzer Dragoon might have been if it had been made today.
While Panzer Dragoon may have been a Kinect game if it had been released today, I think the primary concern fans have is that Crimson Dragon won’t control as well. To many, being exclusive to Kinect is perceived as a step backwards. Let’s hope that if Crimson Dragon is released for Kinect 2 it will control better than the leaked demo, or that Grounding will include controller support.